Advice for Paris Itinerary - what to do on the weekends
 

I'm trying to decide what to schedule, or tentatively schedule, for which days when we're in Paris. DH and I have visited Paris a number of times; it's our 12yo daughter's first visit. We'll arrive at our hotel at about noon on a Thursday, from Belgium, so no jet lag. We return home on Monday morning.

We like to leave things as flexible as possible, so we can make daily (hourly?) decisions based on our moods, weather, hunger, a nice cafe, etc. But I usually have a general plan. And we definitely want to visit the Monet exhibition, so that will be fixed. Should I book the tickets for the Monet exhibit for the weekend, as that's a timed entrance, so the number of people inside will (theoretically) be limited?

Louvre - I assume it's a lot more crowded on the weekends, so I should tentatively plan this for Friday? (Yes, we've been several times, but I don't remember.) We are big museum and art buffs, even DD (she outlasted us parents at Villa Borghese last year), so we'll be spending a long time here.

Musee d'Orsay - I know a lot of the impressionists are not here right now (some are at the Grand Palais); I'm assuming our visit will be shorter than usual. A suggested better or best day for this visit? I was thinking about visiting here the afternoon of our arrival day.

Would Notre Dame (the towers) and Sainte-Chapelle lines be noticeably shorter during the week vs. the weekend? On one visit, we arrived at Sainte-Chapelle shortly before they opened (ok, I'll admit, I had the opening time wrong), then headed over to Notre Dame, and there weren't really any lines. Or we could visit here the afternoon of our arrival day, which would mean the Musee d'Orsay visit would have to be on the weekend. Would Notre Dame/Sainte-Chapelle be packed on a weekday afternoon?

Eiffel Tower - To give more flexibility re the weather, I'm going to wait until closer to our arrival to book tickets. I checked ticket availability for THIS Friday and Saturday, and there are still many tickets left, so I'm hoping that will also be the case in the several days prior to our arrival in Paris. One newspaper article said the busiest times are 10-12 and 2-4; is that generally the case (been here too, and don't remember much except the line was really, really long)?

Versailles - I've only been once, as has DH, because every trip, I keep finding other things I'd rather do. DD said she wants to go if we have time (also on the "if there's time" list are the Orangerie, Jacquemart-Andre and Sacre Coeur/Montemartre. And the dumb Sunday bird market). If we decide to visit, should I assume it will take about 3/4 of a day, including travel time?

Any other timing types of advice?

My feeling is that museums are busier on weekends, because not only tourists but locals go then. I don't think it matters much for Ste Chapelle as mainly tourists go to that. I could be wrong, but that's my feeling. Never climbed Notre Dame so don't know on that.

For the Louvre and Orsay, I think those museums are also not as crowded in the evenings. The Louvre is open Friday night until 10, so why not go late afternoon. The Orsay is open late on Thursday nights, so that works for your plan.

I'd say Versailles is 3/4 a day, sounds good.

I don't like birds and wouldn't care about people selling them, in fact, I would dislike it.

When we took our grandsons, who were 13 and 11 at the time, the museum they enjoyed most was the Rodin. Seeing "The Thinker" in the garden and getting up close in such a lovely, small setting, to see the rest (and knowing they were in his home) is something they still talk about.

Also, start at the Place de la Concorde, grab a crepe at the stand and enter the Tuilleries gardens for a stroll to the Louvre. On a nice day it's a lovely way to see Parisians enjoying the park, kids with the sailboats, statuary among the greenery...

In other words, my main suggestion for weekends involves outdoor activities. Which reminds me, the Canal St. Martin area is very nice now, as well.

You didn't mention your dates but a Henry Moore exhibit starts mid-month at the Rodin Museum, an added bonus to an already lovely museum and garden. You already have a lot on your list so I'm not helping much by adding more. I prefer to look at the Eiffel Tower from various viewpoints around Paris rather than spending time trying to get up it, but I'm not 12. Have a great visit!

I reserve the weekends for people watching. The kines are longer and as suggested I try for early or evening ventures to museums even during teh week. that said though, Versailles always seems to eb crowded, so ther is no loss/gain by going on the weekend.It knocks of a day, and then spend the rest of the time visiting parks, a boat ride on the seine 9if you have a seat the crowd does not matter too much) or perhaps Pere la Chaise cemetery.

Is Matisse on your list of favorite artists? If so, you could see the sizable collection at the Pompidou Center which is open every evening until 21:00.

If your daughter wants to take a walk along the Champs Elysées, you could drop in at Ladurée (75, avenue des Champs Elysées) for coffee and macarons--or some other equally divine pastries.

Thanks for the advice. We like being outside, too, but as we live in the Rocky Mountains, our usual weekend activity is outdoors and being physical. On vacation, we do what we can't do at home, which is mostly museums and world-class art that we definitely don't have where we live.

And on people-watching, DH, DD and I agreed initially that this trip has 3 priorities: (i) museums; (ii) food; and (iii) cafes and people-watching, in that order. So we will definitely fit all those in. Oh, and crepes, of course.

The first night we're in Paris, we'll be taking an evening ride on the boats, so that DD's magical first sight of the Eiffel Tower is at night. (I'm not into going to the top of the Tower, in fact I won't because I have a fear of heights, but the other two voted that on the "must-see" list. I'll be at a cafe.)

Help - you're making the list longer! Rodin, we've been several times, DD didn't put it on the must-see or the possibly-see list. I tell her and us that we can't do it all, and that she, and we, will have other chances to visit Paris. Pompidou, we visited last visit with DS, who loves modern art a lot more than his parents. DD said no to the Pompidou, but I forgot about Matisse, who's more accessible than some of the other modern artists; I'll have to ask her.

Funny story about the Rodin. When we took DS (he doesn't have the same fall break as DD) to Paris when he was 10yo (different trip than the Pompidou), I was sure he'd love the Rodin, the outdoor sculptures, and all that. Well, he HATED it; it was the only thing on the entire trip that he didn't like. It's become a big family joke that I MADE him visit the Rodin. I'm so mean.

There is also the doll museum (is she too old?) and perhaps the Cluny/Musee du Moyen Age is an interesting small museum built in an abbey overf the ruins of a roman bath. some nice bits of Notre Dame gargoyles, famous tapestry,etc..

The Marmottan is also hosting a Monet exhibit.

Angelina's on Rue Rivoli is famous for its dark hot chocolate drink, and its desserts aren't too bad either (like Mont Blanc).

I also think that weekends may also be busier at the tourist stops.

Considering your daughter, what about the Friday fashion show at Galeries Lafayette? Reservations are necessary.

The last time we climbed the Notre Dame towers was on a Friday in March. We arrived half an hour before opening time (crepes in hand) and there was already a bit of a line. By the time it opened the line was quite long.

For St. Chappelle and others, I hope you're considering the Museum and Monument pass, as it will allow you to jump the queue. HUGE time-saver. http://en.parismuseumpass.com/rub-mu...-by-name-5.htm

Thanks for the other suggestions - I had already asked DD about the Cluny, even showed her pictures of the tapestries, and she said no. It's not that we're catering to DD on this trip, it's that we've been to Paris several times, so there are fewer "must-dos" for us (Jacquemart-Andre is one, as is the Monet exhibit. And the Louvre; it's so huge, that I've not yet seen all of it).

We considered the Marmatton, which I like very much, but given limited time, we chose the Monet show over the Marmatton. I had read (here) about their show.

My daughter loves clothes and shopping only a tiny bit more than I do, so while that suggestion might be great for some people, it's not a fit for any of us.

Maybe Angelina's. I must be the only person in the world who doesn't love the hot chocolate. We took our son there, and it was too rich even for him. I've been pushing Laduree, which has a shop within a block of our hotel. DD and I love macarons!